The Isuzu Ascender was a mid-size SUV built by General Motors for Isuzu. Introduced for the 2003 model year, the 7-passenger Ascender was a re-badged GMC Envoy. It replaced the Japanese built mid-size Isuzu Trooper. A shorter 5-passenger model was made available for the 2005 model year as a replacement for the Rodeo and the Axiom. A Displacement on Demand V8 was introduced in 2005. Isuzu once offered a wide line of trucks, cars, and SUVs but the Ascender was Isuzu's last and only passenger vehicle until the introduction of the also slow-selling Isuzu i-Series pickup trucks, which were also built by GM in North America. The Ascender was never sold in Canada as Isuzu had announced, at the time, its withdrawal from there.

First generation (2003–2008)

The Ascender is the only one of the six mid-size SUVs that was not actually a GM branded product (Isuzu was partially owned by GM until spring 2006). The 7-passenger Ascender was dropped after the 2006 model year. Reviews warned of a thin dealer network for warranty repairs, and the Kelley Blue Book projected a relatively low resale value similar to the Trailblazer. However, Isuzu offers a seven-year/75,000-mile powertrain warranty, and substantial factory incentives.

The Ascender ended production on June 6, 2008, as part of Isuzu's withdrawal from the United States market.The Ascender (along with the related GMC Envoy) were both replaced by the 2010 GMC Terrain, based on the GM Theta platform. 7-passenger versions of both SUVs were indirectly replaced by the GMC Acadia in 2007, based on the GM Lambda platform. A 2005-2008 Ascender was recalled by a crash test which received a Poor safety rating.